Apparatus for placing hoisting cables beneath ships



A ril 27 1926. 1,582,130

J. CURREY APPARATUS FOR PLACING HOISTIflG GABLES BENEATH SHIPS Filed Nov. 18, 1924 -2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aim/e er- James 6! cazmggf,-

Witness:- :81, gm

@I'bld If adorn;

- April 27 1926. 1582;130,

- J. G. CURREY APPARATUS FOR PLACING HOISTING CABLES BENEATH SHIPS iled ov. 18. 19 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mum: E1

I II

nuzuto'o:

James 6 Currey Wiffiess:

PM a attorney Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES JAMES G, CURREY, 0F LEAVENWOBTH, KANSAS.

" APPARATUS FOR PLACING HOIS'IING CABLES BENEATI-I SHIPS.

Application filed November 18, 1924. Serial No, 750,608. A

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES Gunner, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county'of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Apparatus for Placing Hoisting Cables Beneath Ships, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for placing hoisting cables beneath sunken ships in instances where it is impossible to introduce them under the ends of a vessel on account of anchor chains, ropes, and other obstacles hanging from said vessel, or lying on the bottom of the sea. 1

In carrying out the invention the vessel is initially raised a short distance from the bottom of the sea by suitable means such, for instance, as the hoisting apparatus disclosed by my copending application filed November 18, 1924;," Serial No. 750,607. An arm is then lowered from a tug or other vessel and manoeuvred beneath the partly raised vessel until the forward end, carrying a float, has passed to the other side of the vessels keel. Said float is then. released and carries to the surface one end of a strong but light line, preferably of silk, the other end of which is attached to one end of a light cable which in turn is attached. to a heavy hoisting cable. on one of a pair of salvaging barges spaced apart on the surface, so that the vesselma-y be raised be tween them. The float and the light line are then hauled aboard the companion barge,

the light line being employed to raise the light cable, which in turn raises the attached end of the heavy hoisting cable. The foregoing operation is repeated until a sufficient number of hoisting cables have been placed beneath the vessel to form a reliable sling whereby said vessel. may be safely hoisted to the surface. I p

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus with the arm placed beneath the ship and the float released.

and associate parts.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section 01; line IIIVIII of Fig. 2 of the float receptacle and float and i the Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan View of the arm Fig; 6 is adetail of one of a plurality of drums used in taking up slack in the hoisting cables. I

Referring now in detail to the different parts, A designates the vessel which has been raised by the hoisting apparatus a short distanceabove the bottom of the sea to permit the placement of the arm 2 beneath said vessel. The apparatus for hoisting the vessel may be of any suitable form. In the drawings I have shown apparatus similar to the hoisting apparatus disclosed by my copending application and embodying a plurality oftongs 4i, hoisting cables 6 at tached to said tongs and runningaover guide sheaves 8 to drums 9 mounted in the barges 10' and 10, and hoists 12 equipped. with clamps 15 for gripping said cables to raise the same andthe vessel A. The hoists 12 are suspended'from cross arms 11, fixed to standards 13 arranged along side of the barges'lO and 10, and the sheaves 8 are mounted on the. cross arms ll'at the starboard side of the barge 10 and the port side of the barge10.

The drums 9 are actuated by levers 14c verse members 22, firmly secured 'together.-

Longitudinal members 21 are turned upwardly at their forward ends 23 like sled runners to pass more readily over such obstructions on the bottom of the sea as may be encountered cwhile the arm 2is being placedbeneath the vessel A. i

In order that the arm 2 may be held in a relatively horizontal position while being placed beneath the vessel A, said arm is pro vided at its: rear portion with a counterbalance 2a to which cables 26 are attached for the purpose of lowering and raising said counterbalance 2% and the arm 2, andv for placing the latter beneath the vesselA; The counterbalance 52stv is preferably in the form of a crib in which ballast may be placed, it

necessary, to hold the arm 2 in horizontal position.

The cables 26 extend upwardly over guide sheaves 28 and are attached to a windlass 30 mounted on a tug boat or other vessel B, which is provided with a rearwardly extending beam 32011 which thesheave brackets 34 are carried.

The arm 2 is provided adjacent to its forward end with a fixedly mounted float recep tacle 3S and a bracket i0. Said receptacle 38 is provided with a slidable lid .42, which may be opened from the tub boat B, or one of the barges 10, 10?, through the intermediacy of a cable -l--l-, which, in the present instance is guided by sheaves 46 and 48 on the arm 2, and sheaves 50 to a Windlass, or one of the drums 9, on the barge 10, so that suiticient power may be had to open the lid 42. The sheaves 50 are mounted on the cross arms 11 at the port side of the barge 10, and the starboard side of the barge 10.

I'Vhen the lid 42 is opened a'cork or other suitable float bet is released from the receptacle 38 and floats to the surface at a point adjacent to the barge 10 where it may be recovered by a member of the crew. A silk or other light but strong line 49 is attached at one end of the float 54 and at its opposite end to one end of a light cable 51, which in turn is attached at its opposite end to one of the hoisting cables 19, or 20, the former of which has one end running over a set of the sheaves 8 and attached to one of the drums 9, while the latter has one. end running over a set of the sheaves 50 and attached to another of the drums on the barge 10. hen

the float is recovered by a member of the crew on the barge l as above stated, the submerged end of the heavy hoisting cable is hauled aboard said barge 1O through the intermediacy of the line 49 and the light cable 51, said line serving to lift the light cable 51, which in turn lifts the attached end of the heavy hoisting cable. After the end of the heavy hr'iisting cable has been hauled aboard the barge if it be one of the cables 19 it is run ver a set of the guide sheaves 8 and attached to one of the drums 9, or it it is one of the cables it is run over a set of the sheaves and attached to one of the adjacent drums 9.

The foregoing operations are repeated until a suiiicient number of cables 19 and 20 have been placed beneath the vessel A to form a reliable sling whereby said vessel may be safely raised to the surface. Raising of the vessel by the cables 6, 19 and 20 is accomplished step by step through the intermediacv of the hoists 12, which are operated at the same time to keep the vessel A and the barges 10 and 10 on an even keel. The hoists 12 are, preferably, manually operated and after the clamps 15 have reached the end of their upward movement they are removed from the cables 19 and 20, lowered close to the surface of the water, and again secured to said cables 19 and 20 preparatory to raising the same another step. As the cables 19 and 20 are raised step by step the slack is taken up on the drums 9, which also support said cables and their load when the clamps 15 are removed as stated. Before or after the vessel has been raised to the surface it may be temporarily repaired with one or more of the patches disclosed in my copending application and then towed to dry dock for permanent repairs.

iVhile I have shown and described the preferred term of my apparatus, I reserve the right to make such changes in the construction, combination and arrangen'lent of parts as properly fall within the spirit and scope. of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm consisting of transverse and longitudinal members, means for lowering and raising said arm, a float associated with said arm and having a line attached thereto, and means for releasing said float.

2. In an apparatus of the character described,'an arm, means for lowering and raising said arm, a receptacle carried by said arm, a float arranged within said receptacle and having a line attached thereto, and a cable for releasing said float from the receptacle.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm, means for lowering and raising said arm, a receptacle carried by said arm, a float arranged within said receptacle and having a line attached thereto, a slidable lid for holding the float in said receptacle, and means for opening said lid.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm, means for lowering and raising said arm, a receptacle carried by said arm, a float arranged within said receptacle and having a line attached thereto, a lid for holding the float in said receptacle, a cable to open said lid, and sheaves for guiding said cable.

In an apparatus of the character described, an arm adapted to operate in a horizontal plane and which is curved upwardly at its forward end, cables for lowering and raising said arm, a float associated with the curved end of said arm and having a line attached thereto, and means for releasing said float.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm, a counterbalance fixed to said arm, cables for raising and lowering said arm, a float associated with said arm, and means for releasing said float.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm, a receptacle secured to said arm, a float arranged in said receptacle, a lid to said receptacle to hold the float therein, a cable vfor opening said lid, a bracket fixed t0 the arm, a sheave carried by said bracket for guiding the cable, and means for lowering and raising the arm.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm, means for lowering and raising said arm, a float associated with said arm, a cablefor releasing said float, a line attached to said float, a light cable attached to said line, a hoisting cable attached to the last-mentioned cable, and apparatus for raising said hoisting cable. 7 i

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES G. GURREY. 

